The Assembly Health Committee in California has voted unanimously in support of bill SB 694, which would authorize a study to test new workforce models with the goal of increasing access to dental care for California's children.
The final vote count was 19-0.
The bill would also ensure that the state has a Statewide Office of Oral Health, led by a dental director.
DrBicuspid.com previously reported that the director could "design and implement a scientifically rigorous study to assess the safety, quality, cost-effectiveness, and patient satisfaction of irreversible dental procedures performed by traditional and nontraditional providers for the purpose of informing future decisions about scope of practice changes in the dental workforce that include irreversible or surgical procedures."
The Children's Partnership applauded the Assembly Health Committee's support of the bill in a statement, noting the potential for the bill to improve children's access to dental care.
The California Dental Association supports the proposed legislation, but two other state dental groups -- the California Academy of General Dentistry and the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons -- oppose the concept of midlevel providers, saying they lack the necessary training to do irreversible procedures.
